January 2021

Happy New Year might be the typical opening to a January blog but one might argue that this new year has been many things--up to and including happy. The pandemic is still a painful, present reality in the ways that we move through public spaces and a defining factor in the likely increased amount of time that we’re spending in our homes. Major civil unrest and a transition of power like we’ve never seen are leading to tough questions some of which have easy answers, some of which do not. We obviously aren’t the first to say it but the past year has been hard… globally. We have internal and external questions to answer but are finding that the ones that keep rising to the top are considerations of how we as people engage with each other--in community. 

‘Connecting Communities’ is our new tagline and we are excited to unveil it here! We chose it because it is the very heart of why we exist and the center of what we do everyday. We’re proud to move forward including this tagline in our branding but more importantly, we are sharing it here for several additional reasons. First, this blog is one of many tangible steps in the direction of living out this mission in our day to day. We will use it to state our intention to do what we’ve been doing and MORE. Our hope for sharing this and for starting this monthly window into our work is to provide clarity about who we are, why we exist and the many ways that we work to connect communities. We hope that you’ll read this, engage with us by sharing your thoughts on our social channels and pass what you learn on to others -- connecting you to them and them to us!

We are located in the S. Fulton area of Atlanta but if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that community is NOT just the people with whom you go out to dinner. When dining out was no longer an option, we found new ways to engage with each other -- broadening our communities. Through technology, we were able to be connected with those in neighboring counties, the state next door or a country clear across the world. Indeed, we learned that considering the health and safety of communities outside of our own is truly the way to ensure the common good, so while we function out of S. Fulton county, we want to provide spaces where old and new communities can begin to crystalize. Because it is so important, we will use our monthly blog to dig deeply into what Connecting Communities means to us, the MANY ways to build, foster and sustain community and what it will look through the lenses of our Divisions and Programs, impacting those in S. Fulton and beyond.

To us, community is supporting the work of our Divisions -- AIR Serenbe and Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre as they empower art and artists. It’s implementing the programs that bring Art, Culture and the Environment to Atlanta area residents and the world at large -- programs like A.C.E. and Environment. Last year, we ended the year with a campaign entitled, ‘Art Heals. Culture Unites. Environment Inspires.’ because to us, our programs and divisions bring healing, unity and inspiration. The Institute is proud to be part of bringing those critical needs to communities around the world.

That’s what community means to us... but what is community to you? When we asked our Divisions this question, John Welker, Artistic & Managing Director for Terminus shared the many layers that he sees in the realm of dance. “I think of our patrons -- show-goers, donors, dance school students and families. I see the physical community as those in Atlanta, Kennesaw (through our partnership with Kennesaw State University) and Chattahoochee Hills, which is the home of the Institute. I also see community throughout the dance ecosystem in Atlanta. We work alongside larger organizations, like Atlanta Ballet, as well as smaller and mid-size organizations. Same with the performing arts community in Atlanta and around the world as we strive to make a contribution to the movement of ballet dance to contemporary stages through traditional methods.”

AIR Serenbe shared excitement that as an artist in residency program, their community is spread throughout the country and reaches to all corners of the United States. Michael Bettis said, “The beauty of the Institute is that it allows the Divisions to focus their specialty while connecting them to immediate audiences.” From there, the Institute provides an avenue to foster internal and external collaboration and even greater community connections.

John Welker put it well, “This community just makes sense.” The Divisions and Programs work together to make art, culture and the environment approachable and accessible to new communities everyday. As we grow, we hope to reach out for more and more ways to deformalize the arts and to live into our promise to always be CONNECTING COMMUNITIES.

So… What is community to you? How have you engaged with the Institute in the past or how would you like to engage with us in the future? Let us know your thoughts! Visit us on IG at @serenbeinstitute and share with us in the comments.

Jennifer Bauer-Lyons